Does The Immune System Attack Its Own Nerve Cells In Response To Zika?

Today's short post from webmd.com (see link below) is an interesting update regarding the link between the Zika virus and neuropathy. Just because Zika has left the world's headlines, doesn't mean it has gone away. This mosquito-caused virus is still causing enormous problems across parts of the world and as it's becoming more frequently diagnosed, the numbers of Zika-related, nerve damage cases is rising as well. This article explains that it's not the virus that causes the nerve damage, with all its attendant symptoms but the immune system's own reaction to the virus entering the body. Given that the immune system is set up to attack an invasion, in this case the immune cells flood the nervous system to such an extent that it causes massive inflammation, which in turn gives rise to the damage and symptoms that subsequently occur. Simply put, the immune system attacks its own nerve cells as a sort of over-reaction to the invasive virus. Interesting findings that make you wonder if this isn't behind other forms of neuropathy from other causes.

Zika Nerve Damage May Stem From Virus Response 
By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter MONDAY, Nov. 27, 2017 (HealthDay News) --

Nerve-related complications of Zika infection may be caused by the immune system's response to the virus, not the virus itself, according to a new study.

Zika is spread primarily via the bite of an infected mosquito, but it may also be transmitted by blood transfusion or sexual contact. Most people who become infected don't have any symptoms, but some develop serious neurological conditions. And an infection during pregnancy can cause devastating birth defects.

The researchers said their findings, based on experiments with mice, may help lead to new ways to treat people with Zika-related nerve complications, such as Guillain-Barre syndrome.

The syndrome can cause muscle weakness, tingling and even paralysis.

The Yale University research team found that when Zika infection spreads from the blood to the brain in mice, immune cells flood the brain. This limits the infection of brain cells, but it can also trigger paralysis.

"The immune cells that are generated by infection start attacking our own neurons," study leader and immunobiologist Akiko Iwasaki said in a university news release. "The damage is not occurring through the virus infection, but rather the immune response to the virus."

The findings suggest that suppressing the immune system response may be a way to treat Guillain-Barre syndrome. However, research in animals frequently doesn't produce similar results in humans.

The study was published online this month in the journal Nature Microbiology.

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https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20171127/zika-nerve-damage-may-stem-from-virus-response